Camera back latch



1943- J. w. GILLON ETAL CAMERA BACK LATCH Filed July 9, 1942 FIG. 2.

JOHN WARREN GILL 0N GEORGE .A HARA DEN 1 N V ENTORS A TTORNE Y5 PatentedAug. 3, 1943 CAMERA BACK LATCH John Warren Gillon and George AlbertHaraden, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company,Rochester,

New Jersey corporation of Application July 9, 1942-, Faerie-1N0. 450,268

7 Claims.

This invention relates to photography and more particularly to a latchmechanism for bolding a. camera back in a setposition. One object of ourinvention is to provide a latch which will positively hold latchingelements in a position to engage slidably mounted rods regardless oftheir position. Another object of our invention is to provide a latchmechanism which is suitabie for simultaneously positioning two differentlatch elements and which is so arranged that the mechanism may float asmay be necessary to hold two spaced rods in a fixed position. Otherobjects will appear from the following specification, the novel featuresbeing particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In many cameras a camera back carrying lightsensitive material is soconstructed that it may be moved into various positions which may benecessary or desirable for producing special photographic effects. Suchcamera backs are usualangle of the camera back'can be obtained. It.

has heretofore been difficult to holdthe camera back in a set positionby latching these rods.

without having a separate latching mechanism for each one of the fourcorners, because it has .2

been difficult to provide a latch for each of these rods which could beother than separately operated.

Our invention is particularly'directed to the provision of two latchingelements one of which will latch two rods, and the other of which willlatch the other two rods so that to hold a camera back in a set positionit is only necessary to operate two knobs.

Coming now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denote likeparts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a section through a camera, parts being omitted for the sakeof clarity, the camera including a. latching mechanism construction inaccordance with their embodying a preferred may be simultaneouslylatched in any position to which they may assume relative to the supportby means of: a'latching mechanism operable by a knob or handle.

More specifically our invention may be applied to a camera consisting ofa body portion I having camera bed 2 hinged thereto at 3. Bed braces 4 esupplied for holding the bed in an open position as shown in Fig. l inwhich a lens carriage indicated broadly at 5 may be drawn out by handle6 on a suitable track 1.

The lens carriage 5 supports a front board 8 carrying the usual shutter9 which may include a trigger l3 and a setting lever l l. A bellows [2extends rearwardly from the front board 8 and may be attached to thecamera back l3 which is mounted to tilt or swing with respect to thecamera body I.

The camera back l3 may include similar rods !4 at the four cornersthereof, each of these rods preferably including a ball l5 mounted toturn in a socket I6 carried by the camera back. Each of the rods I4 ismounted to slide through an Opening ll of somewhat larger size than therod M so that the rod has a loose fit therewith.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the rods M are slidably mounted inbearings I1. The bearings l1 supporting these rods may be slotted at [8to permit a latching wedge [9 to be guided to and from the rods forlatching them. Each Wedge i9 is carried by separate transversely slidinglatching bar.

There is an upper latching bar 20 carried by the support 2| and has, asindicated in Figs. 3 and 4, apin and slot connection therewith. The

latching bar 28 is slotted at 22 to slide about a stud 23. The latchingbar 29 is provided with parallel sides 24 (Fig. 3) :to slide inside ofthe forklike member 25 carried by the lower latching bar 26, which hasalso a pin and slot connection with the support '2 i. This pin and slotcomprises a slot 27 in the latching bar through which the stud 28passes. Thus the two latching bars 20 and 26 may slide relative to eachother, and this sliding movement is accomplished by means of a cammember 30 the cam faces of which engage upper cam surface 3| which isarcuate and Which is carried by the latching bar 20 and a lower camsurface 32 which, as best shown in Fig. 3, may be straight in form andwhich is carried bythe lower latching bar 26. Thus when the cam 38 ismoved at right angles to the latching' bars, they will be separated sothat the wedges l9 may en age and bind the rods I4 in any set position.

However, since the rods I 4 assume different M at the same time.

2 angles and different positions in their slidable mounts ll, and sincethere is considerable lost motion between these parts, it is desirableto provide some means for compensating for this movement'and for causingboth wedges [9 to become effective for latching their respective rods Inorder to accomplish this we provide a floating support in the form of aplate 34 which is movably 'mounted upon the support 2! by means of twosimilar pin and slot connections formed. by slots 35 in the plate 3dengaging the heads 33 of studs which can conveniently be threaded at asinto the studs 23 and 28. Thus the plate 34 is permitted to move orfloat a short distanceback and fO-rthbecause of this pin and slotconnection.

The plate 35 carries permanently attached thereto a nut 32 which isthreaded at 43 to receive a screw 44 carrying the 'cam 39. The end ofthis screw is carried by, a threaded section V 45 of an adjusting knob.46;.this .knob being pinned at il so as to turn with the screw.

1 V .When the knob 35 is turned to draw the cam .38 toward the plateBathe latch bars 20 and 26 will be separated, and as soon asthe wedgesIS t set themselves on their respective rods i l, they will bothsimultaneously be wedged into place to hold therods it in a firmlyadjustedposition. Because of the pitch of the threadedzmembers Q3 and M,the cam will be definitely held in any positionin whichit is set by theknob 45. However, by turning the knob ina reverse direction pressure onthe cam is released, and the camera back can be again moved. a

The support :25 carries a pair of side rails '58 3 which are mounted tofreely slide in the tracks 5| on the camera body I. Sliding isaccomplished by the lever 52 having a fork 53 engaging a pin 5e carriedon the rails 56, and since the rOdSZ-may be moved through the gearsegmerrt Bean-d pinion 55 by means of a knob 5'! on theoutside of thecamera, focusing can be accomplished by moving. the support relative tothe'camera body.

The camera side walls are alike in that each carries all of the partsabove described for'focus- .ing, and each of the gear segments 55 isconnectedrto move together by a shaft 58 eXtending across the tcp of acamera.

When the support 2% moves relative to the camera body l, the knob 16must also move, and 'we therefore pro-videslots 68 in the'side walls ofthe camera body 5 so that when the support 2! is moved rearwardly forfocusing, the knobs can move through these slots Bil.

With the latching construction described above, it is obvious that thecamera back can be firmly held in any adjusted position by merely movingthe back 53 until it is in the desired position and tightening the twoknobs 56. Each of these two knobs 46 operates the double latchingmechanism above described and simultaneously ,latches to the rods i4 soas to hold them in a The floating move- 1 1. A latch for camerasincluding a support, spaced rods slidably mounted on the support, a pairof slidably mounted latching bars movable transversely of the rods,frictional latching surfaces on the latching bars adjacent the rods, camsurfaces on the latching bars facing each other, a cam for engaging saidcam surfaces mounted between the cam surfaces, and a handle for movingthe cam.

2. A latch for cameras including a support, spaced rods slidably mountedon the support, a pair of slidably mounted latching'bars movabletransversely of the'rcds, frictional latching surfaces on the latchingbars adjacent the rods, cam

surfaces on the latching bars facing each Other, a cam for engaging saidcam surfaces mounted between the cam surfaces, a handle for moving thecam, and a floating support for the cam and handle whereby the cam andhandle. may move laterally as said handle is turned 'tomove the cam. v

3; A latch for cameras including a support,

spaced rods slidably mounted on the support, a

pair'of slidably mounted latching bars movable transversel of the rods,frictional. latching surfaces on the latch ng bars adjacent the'rods,cam surfaces on the latching bars facing each other,

a cam for engaging'said cam surfaces mounted between the cam surfaces,and at substantially right angles thereto, a slide supporting the cam, acam actuating member, also carriedby the slide hav ng a threadedconnection therewith.

4. A latch for cameras including a support, spaced rods slidably mountedon the support, a pair of slidably mounted latching bars movabletransversely of the rods frictional latchingsurfaces on the latchingbars adjacent the rods, cam

surfaces on the latching bars facing each other,

a camfor engaging said cam surfaces mounted between the cam surfaces,and at substantially right angles thereto, a slide supporting the cam,

cam actuating member, also carried by the slide having a threadedconnection therewith, said cam when operated by said threaded connectionseparating the latch bars, and means for guiding thefr'ictionallatchingsurfaces of the latching ars into contact with the rods.

5. A. latch for cameras includingia support,

spaced rods slidably mounted on the support, a

pair of slidably mounted latchin bars movable transversely of the rods,frictional latchingsurfaces on the latchingloars adjacent the rods, aframe member extending at least partially around said support andincluding a slot therein,means for, moving the support in the frame,aknob mounted on the support and extending through the slot and outsideof the fame, and means operable by said knob and engaging the latchingbars for moving them into latching relationship with the spaced rodsirrespective of the relative position of the support and frame; 7 l

6. A latch for-cameras including a support, spaced rods slidably mountedon the support,.a pair of slidably mounted latching bars movabletransversely of the rods, a pin and slot connection between eachtransverse rod and the support, wedges on the ends of the, latchingbars, a

guideway adjacent the wedges to direct them toating member retainingsaid cam'in any set position. I V

7. A latch for cameras including a support,

surfaces on the latching bars, a cam adapted to engage said cam surfacesand movable at substantially right angles to the latching bars, and athreaded member movably mounted on the sup 5 port for moving the cam.

JOHN WARREN GILLON. GEORGE ALBERT HARADEN.

